Tethered
by FraiseDandelion
Summary: Inspired by the events of 5x21. In which Robin's soul is tethered to Regina's, and our archer's calls fall on deaf ears.
Title: Tethered

Rated: T just to be safe?

Disclaimer: If I owned OUAT, trust me, Hood wouldn't have been killed for nothing.

A/N: I'm just gonna warn everybody right now. It's a bit feelsy, but it restores hope, which, I believe, this fandom desperately needs. Like I said, I'm not giving up on this ship like Adam & co gave up. I will keep writing for OutlawQueen because their story, their uniqueness is beautiful, and we can't let that go to waste. Enjoy!

A/N 2: It's a bit different from my usual storytelling, but I felt it was needed for tone. Also, I took liberties with it, idk where they're going on the show, and my excitement has died (obviously). Un-betaed. Sorry for the mistakes!

* * *

 _Tethered_

Hades said this would end him… and yet, it didn't.

It didn't because he still sees _her_.

Her _broken_ soul.

Shattered existence

Fighting, fighting, and _fighting_ to remain good —what did it ever get her. To not give into the darkness, the grief swallowing her whole.

But it does, partially, the grief eats her alive, eats her soul.

And Robin feels it

Even in this _partial death_ , in the in-between, his soul roaming the earth tethered to hers, he _feels_ it.

At nights it gets worse.

Because he hears her, sees her, _broken_ , yet numb.

Sees her as she wakes, a nightmare, she has numerous per night.

She wakes up alone, doesn't even look at that side of the bed where he used to sleep —he lays there next to her, caresses her; but she doesn't notice, she never does— and Regina simply pulls her knees up to her chest and rests her head atop them.

She doesn't cry, and that's what scares him the most.

Not that he died.

Not that she can revert back to her evil ways.

No

What scares him the most is that by _her_ not crying, Robin knows Regina's convinced herself to just give up, that she deserves it, that,

 _Stop trying Regina_

 _It's not worth it_

 _You're not worth it_

But she is, oh she is _._

And every day he wishes he could tell her.

• • •

He sees Hook once; and it's bittersweet.

For Robin is glad his mate's alive, but sad that that same _bigger power_ that brought Hook back, can't bring _him_ back.

Back to his son —ripped away from Regina a mere day after his death. And how much more unkind can life be to her?

Back to his daughter —left at the care of a mother he'll _never_ bring himself to trust.

Back to _her_ —left in the dark lonely abyss she's always known.

But he can't go back to them, can't go back to _her_ nor can he leave her; for Hades erased his existence, but _nothing_ erases a soul.

A fate worse than death indeed; seeing as his soulmate tries, and fails, to move on with her life.

• • •

He's tethered to her, and wherever she goes, _he_ goes.

So he's there when Gold tells her that _You'll always be the evil queen, Regina_.

He wants to punch the man, murder him on the spot, but alas, he _can't_ , and the thought that he'll never be able to, destroys the last bit of hope he has left.

Regina cries that night, for the first time, in that room in New York City, alone because _he can't be there_ for her.

And he cries with her because _nothing_ about this situation is fair.

• • •

He's tethered to her, so he goes with her to his former apartment in hopes of finding Henry there, and just being there makes him want to puke.

Because whilst he doesn't regret the existence of his beautiful daughter, he does regret the circumstances under which she was conceived.

And just being here serves as a reminder of her, no, _their_ pain.

 _Him_ choosing Marian over her.

 _Him_ choosing Regina only to leave her behind.

 _Him_ convincing himself to move on with Marian because he thought he'd never see Regina again.

Marian being Zelena

Zelena announcing her pregnancy.

 _Regina finding out_.

And it's so unfair, so absolutely unfair that, _indirectly,_ he caused her pain in life, and still manages to do so in death.

But suddenly she's reading the cover of a book, _his_ book and there it is, that beautiful smile he _still_ thinks about every time he closes his eyes. A smile he hasn't seen in days.

And she's smiling, smiling because even though he died, he remains alive through books.

Bittersweet.

Regina reads almost daily, even days after going back to Storybrooke, a heartbroken Henry in tow, she reads of his stories.

Of how the Merry Men came to be. Of his past life as a royal. Of how Little John once decided to sneak into a ball just to steal the food.

And she chuckles, chuckles because she never knew _this_ story, yet she nailed it when she met John the first time.

But then she frowns, closes the book and throws it across the room, suddenly seething.

It's not lost on Robin that she not only lost _him_ , but also his son and the merry men.

• • •

Regina cries herself to sleep that night.

And he's frustrated, tired of roaming this other dimension.

Tired of calling her name and not being heard.

Tired of wanting to wipe those tears away, but being unable to do so.

Of needing to kiss those sweet supple lips.

Of feeling _her_ pain with his whole _soul_.

Of _everything_.

And he screams, begs to be brought back to the world of living to _anybody_ that can hear him —but like always, _no one_ answers.

He sobs along with her that night, cuddles close to her and wraps his arms around her, grateful that even though he can't have her, he can at least still feel her warm body.

"I'm sorry this happened to us," Robin whispers in the space between them.

But Regina keeps sobbing, and he keeps caressing her face even though he knows she _can't_ feel him, can't _hear_ him, so of course there's _no reply_.

Yet, Regina falls asleep rather quickly that night, the tear tracks and crease of her forehead ever present. He tries to rub them off, get her to relax a little, and for some reason she does, cuddles closer to where he is and lets out a sigh that sounds close to his name; the sound enough to break him again.

"I love you," Robin whispers amidst tears.

And he regrets it now, regrets that he was never able to voice it because she needs to know, _deserves_ to know that she _is_ lovable, she _is_ worth it, oh so so worth it.

Yet it isn't lost on him that no matter how much he wants to be with her right now, feel her, love her, kiss her, he doesn't regret it, _this_ sacrifice, will never bring himself to do so because his sacrifice gave _her_ life, an opportunity, _another_ chance.

Life

 _Life_

A life he wants her to live wholeheartedly.

He wants her to love, she _deserves_ to love and be loved, and even if it's not by him, he ceased to exist after all, Robin's intent on making _her_ realize that, even if he has to do it from the other side.

But no longer has the thought crossed his mind, Robin feels lethargic, the warmth of Regina no longer in his arms.

• • •

Earth

Scent of rain

Water running down a river

 _Pain_

Sharp, deep, pulling and _pulling_. Pressing and _pushing_ , ripping and _rebuilding_.

Loneliness

 _Love_

Heat

Hope

 _Warmth_

And _those_ words

 _True love means giving up everything for the person you love_

 _Selflessness_

 _The truest act of love out of all_

 _Your love for her is worth another chance at life for you_

 _Her love for you transcends death_

 _Never ending_

 _Tethered souls_

The voice rings through his head, repetitive, forceful, demanding...

 _Go_

Robin stands, on shaky legs, and standing hasn't been this hard in these past few weeks, neither has walking.

But his soul aches for her

Calls out to _hers_

And he sprints.

Runs

Runs

 _Runs_

Through mud, slippery fallen leaves, rough roots.

He runs to _her,_ to her favorite place, believing, _knowing_ that she's there.

He catches a glimpse of it, a majestic building in the middle of a forest, the door open and he goes inside, follows the sounds of her sobs and for some reason he knows, he knows just exactly _what_ transpired that night.

Because in order for him to come back, their tethered souls had to be separated, ripped apart, if only _momentarily_.

And that's what happened, that's what _he_ felt, that's what _she_ felt too.

Unbearable pain, unbearable loneliness for a moment, but a loneliness, a pain he'd suffer over and over again if it gives him _this_ opportunity.

He finds her in the corner, knees pulled up to her chest and it's not lost to him the irony of it all, to be reunited in the same place they consummated their love.

Yet for a moment he's afraid to call out to her, afraid that it'll fall on deaf ears like it has these past few weeks.

But hope blossoms

Love too

And lowly, tentatively, Robin calls out to her.

" _Regina_ "

A beat passes

Another one

And this can't be, he cannot have possibly gotten his hopes up for nothing right?

This can't be it.

 _No_

So he calls again, softer, voice breaking; _afraid_.

" _M'lady_ "

And this time, Regina looks up at the sound of his voice.


End file.
